proficient therefore in any art studies to approve himself to such as are masters of it. To their judgment he appeals, and their approbation supports and gratifies him under the neglect or the censure of the rude and incompetent. The praise of some is worse than reproach. Our Lord forbad the devils to confess him. Paul was displeased with the spirit of divination in the damsel that cried, These are the servants of the most high God, which show unto men the way of salvation." Wise men lay little stress upon the caresses of the multitude, who are easily wrought upon, and are led by humour rather than conviction, and can seldom comprehend what they pronounce upon. And therefore a heathen philosopher, when shouted home to his door by the populace, turned round, and said, "What folly or harm have I done to deserve and obtain your commendations?" Some hearers are afraid to say a word of praise to a minister, lest they should make him proud and vain. But the danger is imaginary; he has no opinion of their judgment. Praise is debased, and becomes more than worthless by insincerity; it is then flattery, and "he that flattereth his neighbour spreadeth a net for his feet." All the friendship of the world is only "lies in hypocrisy." Humán applause can add little to our welfare and happiness. The influence of it is confined to time: what can it do for us when sickness spreads a gloom over our comforts, and mortality draws the curtain upon all that is valued on earth? Paul therefore says, 'It is a light thing to be judged of man's judg ment; he that judgeth me is the Lord." He knows all things; he reads the heart; he is truth itself; he is approved whom the Lord commendeth. "Let the words of my mouth, and the meditations of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord my strength and my redeemer!"

"

The Second is, In whose presence he will acknowledge us: "I will confess him before my Father which is in heaven." Could you choose before whom you would be owned and praised, it would doubtless be one you most highly esteemed, in whose regard you placed your happiness, and who was most able to advance and secure all your interests. And whose blessing maketh rich, and addeth no sorrow with it? In whose favour is life? Who can do for you exceeding abundantly above all you can ask or think? Suppose a general, after the termination of a war, returning home, and entering the presence of the king, the fountain of honour; and introducing one by one those who had distinguished themselves under him: he calls them by name, he relates their exploits, he testifies their obedience, their skill, their prowess, their perseverance; and asks for their remuneration and preferment-What could be more gratifying and glorious? Yet what would this be, compared with the conduct of the Lord Jesus, the leader and commander of his people, when, his warfare being accomplished, he shall present those who have fought the good fight of faith before the throne of the Majesty of heaven and earth, and claim for them the promises of the new and everlasting covenant: "Father, I will that they whom thou hast given me be with me where I am to behold my glory?"

The Third is the period of commendation. We all know how much depends upon the seasonableness of an action. There is a

critical hour when a word spoken in our favour may gain for us a friendship we otherwise should not have known, or an office we should not otherwise have filled; yea, it may decide the whole of our future life. The Lord Jesus does not leave his people without witness now. In various ways he confesses them even here. But in these words he refers to his confessing them before his Father "at the last day," when he has summoned together the whole universe, and is distributing endless disgrace or honour, happiness or misery. They will have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.

Let this reconcile them to their present comparative obscurity. The world knoweth them not. It is not proper, it would not be safe for them to have all their distinctions here. Their day is coming. It is called the manifestation of the sons of God. "Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father."

NOVEMBER 19.-"I am a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed.”— 1 Peter v. 1.

THIS is one of the three characters by which Peter describes himself to enforce his "exhortation." In the two former, wherein he calls himself" an elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ," there is something personal to him: but in the third designation there is nothing peculiar-any further than all real religion is a peculiar thing in our world, where the multitude are evil, and thousands among those who wear the form of godliness are strangers to the power of it. But all who are born of the Spirit stand upon the same ground with Peter with regard to eternity. They are heirs together with him of the grace of life, and each of them is authorized to say, "I am a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed." Hence three things are observable.

First, The destination of Christians is "glory." The radical idea of glory is brightness, splendour. The secondary notion is excellency displayed-and this is what the Scripture intends when it so frequently expresses heaven by the term glory. We think more of the happiness of the state than of the glory. But it will display all kinds of excellency-natural-corporeal-intellectual-moral-social excellency-and the excellency of pleasure, called "the joy of their Lord," "joy unspeakable and full of glory."

Secondly, This glory is for future development-It " shall be revealed." It has in a degree been revealed from the beginning. The Jews partially knew it; and as to a clearer discovery of the nature of it, and the way of obtaining it, life and immortality were brought to light through the Gospel. But as yet it has not been revealed externally to all; or internally to many; or completely to any: "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him." Believers indeed have the advantage of something in addition to testimony; and they know more of heaven from what they experience than from what they read or hear. They have

certain views and feelings which raise their sentiments more than any thing else-"O if these were rendered permanent and perfect!" But who can imagine what the perfection of them includes? Flesh and blood can no more comprehend than they can inherit the kingdom of God. The full disclosure would be too much for our physical powers to bear, and would subdue all the interests we feel in a thousand things which claim a share in our present attention. The degree of information is wisely adapted to our present state, and while it prepares us for our end does not disqualify us for the way. But we shall not always walk by faith. The object will not always be veiled. "It doth not yet appear what we shall be; but this we know, that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is"-It "shall be re

vealed."

And, thirdly, it admits of present participation-"I am,” says the Christian, "a partaker of this glory." This seems strange, and we are ready to exclaim, Is then his warfare accomplished? Has he finished his course with joy? Has he passed the valley of the shadow of of death? Does he not daily groan, being burdened with afflictions and infirmities? Yet, according to the Scripture, by grace he is saved; he is come to the new Jerusalem; he hath everlasting life; he is a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed. He is so by union with Christ, his head and representative, who procured it, and has prepared it for him, and has taken possession of it in his name, and holds it on his behalf-"He hath quickened us together with Christ, and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus." And he is so by the certitude and appropriation of faith: for faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. The believer can realize as sure and as present whatever God has engaged to give. He is so by actual possession in the foretastes, the earnests, the beginnings. Under whatever representations heaven be held forth the Christian has it in quality, and in degree. He is a partaker of it as the bud partakes of the flower, and the dawn of the day, and the child of the man. The believer's anticipations are not confined to any particular season or condition, but he is often peculiarly a partaker of this glory in four cases In the seclusion and liberty of the closet-In the ordinances of the sanctuary-In the supports and comforts of afflictionAnd in the elevated experience of a dying hour.

Is this your attainment? Can you say, "I am a partaker of the glory which shall be revealed?" How ought you to feel and to demean yourself? Walk worthy of God who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory. Let your conversation become your condition -Let it be dignified, cheerful, and especially grateful. You were children of wrath, but are now heirs of glory, yea and even partakers of it-What should you render for blessings so great, and obtained by means so infinitely expensive?

And if you are not partakers should you not lay it to heart? Should you not seek after an interest in it? Whatever else you possess you must soon leave; and no abundance of it can afford you satisfaction even in the enjoyment. But here the object will relieve every want, it will fill up every desire. And success is sure

to crown your application if you seek according to the true order. Only remember the time of finding is both short and uncertain. You cannot be happy too soon; and your safety leaves you not a moment to lose "Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near."

NOVEMBER 20.--" Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels -Matt. xxv. 41.

WHAT a contrast between this sentence and the language addressed by the same Judge to those on his right hand! That says, "ye blessed of my Father;" this, "ye cursed." That says, “Come;" this, "Depart." That says, "Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world;" this says, Depart into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels."

The words are not for declamation, but belief. This "terror of the Lord" was not intended to be defined and comprehended, but was to be left to those forebodings of imagination in which there can be no danger of excess-" Who knoweth the power of thine anger? Even according to thy fear so is thy wrath." We shall not therefore dwell upon the duration, or the nature of this misery; but only remark three things.

The first regards the origin of this dreadful state. It was not it seems at first provided for the human race, but "prepared for the devil and his angels." Yet being prepared, the abode could receive any other rebels as well as they; and those who will join his party in our world, and do the works of the devil, as they have shared in the same sin, must share in the same suffering with him and his followers. Thus the sinner renders their place his own; as it is said of Judas," he went to his own place."

The second regards the certainty of the doom. The denouncement is not an idle tale; it is not the offspring of the nursery, or the creation of priestcraft. The consciences of men tell them this, and much more frequently and seriously than they are willing to acknowledge. The misery is such, that if there was only a probability, or even a possibility of incurring it, wisdom would justify a submission to all the self-denial and sacrifices the Gospel demands. The children of this world act upon this principle, where their temporal interests are concerned. They throw overboard the lading of the vessel when they are not sure, but only apprehensive of a shipwreck and yield to the painful excision of a limb when the preservation of the whole body is not certain, but probable, and in some cases possible. But before a man can suppose that this misery is not possible, and even probable; before he can question the certainty of it, he must prove either that our Lord never uttered these words as the Gospel affirms, or that if he did utter them he is not to be depended upon. But he is the faithful witness; and the Scripture cannot be broken. What a task then has the infidel to perform before he can lay his apprehensions to rest, and bid defiance to this sentence-He must prove that the Bible is a lie, or Jesus a liar. Men may be ignorant of these things, but they must be "willingly ignorant." And they cannot be ignorant long. And, considering the uncertainty of life,

how soon, very soon may they be convinced too late! Hobbs said, when dying, "I yield my body to the earth, and my soul to the great perhaps." Thistlewood the traitor said to one of his comrades as he was ascending the drop, "We shall soon know the great secret" -He meant, whether there was another world; and after death the judgment. What wretched infatuation to leave the decision till the discovery and the remedilessness arrive together! It is hardly necessary to observe that the denial of the thing will not disprove it. Suppose a criminal by some delusion persuades himself that the assize will not be kept-He goes on--but while he is engaged or amused, hark! the trumpets sound, the judge is entering, and to-morrow he must appear. Men may reason, disbelieve, ridicule; but the scene neither slumbers nor lingers-" The end is come; the end is come."

The third respects the character of those who fall under the malediction. And surely they must be persons charged with crimes too shocking for human nature often to commit: surely they can only be Cains, and Pharaohs, and Belshazzars, and Herods, and Robespierres. But no. They are not represented as tyrants, robbers, adulterers, murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers. Many of them were free from what is commonly called vice. They had negative virtues, and often boasted that they did no harm. But they led easy and indolent lives. They exercised no self-denial. They made no sacrifices not only for God whom they had not seen, but for their brother whom they had seen. They have judgment without mercy, because they showed no mercy. They had unfeeling hearts, and tearless eyes; their hands never relieved the necessitous; their feet never visited the door of affliction-It is the decision of One too wise to be mistaken, and too faithful to misrepresent " For I was an hungered, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal."

NOVEMBER 21.-" I went out full, and the Lord hath brought me home again empty."-Ruth i. 21.

THESE are the words of Naomi, who, from the famine which raged in her own country, had fled to Moab for succour, and had now returned back to her native place. In a village every occurrence, especially the coming back of an inhabitant after years of absence, excites notice, and the news soon spreads through the neighbourhood. So it was here. The arrival of Naomi, accompanied with Ruth, her daughter-in-law, awakens curiosity, and huddles together the rustics in little groups, pointing with the finger, and making remarks and inquiries-" So they two went until they came to Beth-lehem. And it came to pass, when they were